Implementing the 2014 GED Exam and Computer-Based GED Testing in Correctional Facilities: A Guide for Correctional Educators and Administrators

Article excerpt

Abstract

In 2014, a new General Education Development (GED) assessment will be implemented. The new, more rigorous test will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and will use a new test delivery model-computer-based testing (CBT) to replace the paper-and-pencil examination. These two changes have important implications for correctional administrators and educators in terms of prepare for and implementing the new test. This guide, written by state correctional education directors and other experts in the field, provides practical guidance on specific issues for administrators and educators to consider in preparing for the implementation of the new GED Test and for CBT. In particular, it discusses the need for a plan to provide professional development for educators and administrators gearing up to deliver the new GED test through CBT and then provides some "nuts-and-bolts" advice for implementing the test and CBT, including the need for an phased implementation timeline. This guide is part of a series of practice guides developed by practitioners and academic researchers as part of a larger study being conducted by the RAND Corporation on the effectiveness of correctional education. The guides are intended to represent the perspective of the individual authors on key issues in the field of correctional education. For more information about the RAND study, see http://www.rand.org/jie/projects/correctional-education.html.

Introduction

One of the most significant changes that will affect correctional education in the immediate future is the development of the new GED test and the 2014 change to computer-based testing only. In January 2014, a more rigorous General Educational Development (GED) test aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will be implemented. Concurrent with the rollout of the new test, the GED Testing Service (GEDTS) plans to transition from a paper-based test (PBT) to a new test delivery model-computer-based testing (CBT).

Combined, these two changes have important implications for correctional education. Educators will need to be prepared to teach the CCSS and prepare students for a more rigorous GED test that will require students to demonstrate high-level thinking skills and exhibit deeper levels of knowledge in four subject areas. In addition, the new test delivery model will require educators to prepare students to have a level of computer literacy and skills necessary to successfully navigate the test using a computer. These changes, in tum, have implications when it comes to agency budgets and professional development needs of educators and present a number of logistical concerns when it comes to preparing to implement CBT. These changes also importantly will help push the growing role of computer technology in correctional education to the forefront.

This practice guide addresses some of the issues facing correctional educators as they implement CBT and prepare correctional educators and offenders for the more rigorous GED examination. Its goal is to offer suggestions for thinking through the issues to better identify solutions specific to the correctional educator's jurisdiction. Also, the guide explicitly addresses what is known about the process of implementing computer-based GED testing.

Specifically, we offer guidance in two major areas: preparing educators for the new GED test and preparing for CBT. Before discussing and providing guidance on each of these two areas, we provide a background discussion of the role the GED test plays in correctional education.

History of the Ged in Correctional Education

Providing access to GED preparation is a prevalent component of correctional educational programs throughout the criminal justice system; most local jails, lockups, and detention centers, state and locally operated juvenile centers, state adult facilities, and the federal prison system provide GED preparation courses and offer the GED test to incarcerated populations. …